𖤓 . TELLUS . 𖤓

✶ .  — There was a beat of silence. Not only was the comment extremely out of pocket, but it answered absolutely NOTHING that was asked of the demigod in the first place. It didn't take long for that initial confusion to make way for FRUSTRATION and ANGER as it so often did when it comes to Dorrin.

An indignant HUFF left Tyler as hands went to his temples, and a strained laugh left him. He could feel the anger rising, quickly at that, but he'd smother it for now. He needed answers.

❛ NO – I definitely meant my wife. ❜ Tyler shot Dorrin a glare. ❛ Where's Kate? You know something, you ALWAYS do. ❜

𖤓-. Dorrin had OPENED his mouth to continue on his charade of pissing Tyler right the hell off, only to see Kara basically frolicking down the trail after him.

She really was hard to shake huh. Was he trying to shake her? Who knows anymore. It didn't work when he did anyway.

✶ .  — ❛ Kara? ❜ Tyler asked incredulously before running his hands through the back of his hair out of stress. Not because the name wasn't familiar, but because he REMEMBERED Kate mentioning her once before. This was Dorrin's dead girlfriend from who knows how long ago?

❛ But how's she.... HERE? ❜ More importantly, where was Kate? What happens to her NOW?

Kara stopped beside Dorrin before glancing to Tyler and shooting him a smile and waving enthusiastically and putting herself in the middle of the situation. She doesn't know WHAT kind of stand off was happening, but apparently she's a part of this now. She's decided.

❛ Hey! Nice to meet you! I'm Kara! I followed him here! ❜ At that, she gestured to Dorrin with her free hand.

𖤓-. Arguably the WORST part of ALL of this---was that even NOW--Dorrin's SELFISHNESS was at the core of everything. His loss of Kara, his CHOICE to let Styrmir take over his life--his body--his SOUL. Now he had brought her back--with the second chance of LIFE.

A life he had TAKEN from her.

But what life WAS there to give her back? It was all GONE. Their home, their history, her family, their friends.

HIM.

HE WAS GONE. THERE WAS STYRMIR. AND A BASTARD REFLECTION OF WHO HE USED TO BE.

Maybe who he thought he was?

Who WAS he?

Dorrin didn't know anymore. Not Really. He never tried to think of it for too long. After Kara's death---Dorrin had no further desire to CARE about himself. No desire to try and hold onto that part of him. He had fully leaned into Styrmir's influence, his demands, his RE-WRITING of history, his own memories: A warped facsimile of what they used to be.

He didn't even know the girl standing in front of him. He knew his memory of her. He knew Styrmirs lies about her.

&& She didn't KNOW him.

" I'm not him anymore." Dorrin said flatly. " The person you think I am is dead--He died with you. I'm who killed you. I am Styrmir now."

There was no semblance of joking to Dorrin's expression. It was dark---and deep. Almost Hollow.

✶ .  — Kara stared through Dorrin as he spoke, as if she was staring through him. The tone of voice, the look on his face, it took her back. It didn't make her RUN like it maybe should have, it made her freeze. Like a deer in oncoming headlights, Kara stayed firmly in place.

His words echoed in her mind as she tried and failed to grasp them. Desperately trying to make it make sense.

TEN THOUSAND YEARS?

Was THAT why everything was so different? But that just CAN'T be right –- that feels way too long. That amount of time was incomprehensible to Kara. The most she was aware of between her death and her waking up in Alula started a short while ago, due to a LINK that had been established with Kate.

And even then –- in that state, she existed in a limbo. She couldn't answer how long ago that was if she WANTED to.

The amount of lives she must have lived (and lost) was more than she could probably EVER count. Yet somehow, all Kara knew was herself and Kate, the current reincarnation of her. To Kara, it felt like no time had passed at all. It was SCARY as it was confusing.

Kara blinked, shaking her head as she looked down to her hand. Was she crying? She could hardly tell. Finally she released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, wiping at her face with her hand to make sure.

❛ Everything might be different now....... you might be different..... really different.. ❜ there was a long pause as Kara turned to the counter to start unbagging her food. ❛ But you aren't gone. You're right here. ❜

Sensing his objection before he even said anything else, Kara held up an index finger as if to tell him she's NOT finished talking just yet.

❛ If you were really ALL GONE like you say you are, then why bother bringing me back? Why go through all of that trouble in the first place? Why would Styrmir want me back? I know he wouldn't. ❜

Was there perhaps more nuance to the situation than Kara was seeing? Absolutely, but Kara could clearly see this was an attempt to push her away. Kara wasn't having it. She glanced over her shoulder to Dorrin and smiled again, this time smaller.

𖤓-. Dorrin stayed UNCHARACTERISTICALLY quiet as Kara bounced to her feet with that familiar smile. The same one that he had seen so many times---but felt different now. Almost like it taunted him. Even though she was now PHYSICALLY here. He couldn't simply ACCEPT this reality now that it was in front of him.

As if her being here and willingly so----did not MAKE SENSE.

Because in all honesty---it DIDN'T. He had KILLED Kara. Willingly, purposefully--------------CRUELLY. SADISTICALLY.

Yet she acted, as if that was....FINE. Like a MISTAKE.

When it wasn't.

His hand reaches out--tapping his keycard against the door, allowing it to unlock itself, before held the door open for Kara. She seemed more than willing to bound inside eagerly. Dorrin however, stood there---WAY longer than he should have. As if stepping over the threshold was lava itself.

When he finally does let the door shut behind him, his mind begins to swirl with PARANOIA. He couldn't BE here alone with her.

She shouldn't BE here. She should HATE me.

✶ .  — Kara walked in first, looking around the place as she'd set the bag of food on the countertop. Initially, she didn't seem to notice Dorrin's hesitance to come in, but she didn't take long before she looked over her shoulder to him. He still stood at the doorway, even after closing the door.

The question made her take a LONG pause. A silence fell between them.

She remembered what happened in detail, more vividly than she'd LIKE to. It would be easier if she could forget.

Should Kara hate Dorrin? Honestly, she wasn't sure. Even in the heat of the moment, even when they ARGUED and the WORST happened – the truth of the matter is that Kara didn't hate him. She never had. Even with all of that in mind, Kara loved Dorrin.

She opened her mouth to speak a time or two, ❛ I don't know. I just know that I don't. I don't think I can hate you, Dorrin. ❜

Could something be said to the fact that MAYBE at least part of the reason is Kara clinging to a version of Dorrin that doesn't exist anymore? Probably. But Dorrin is the ONLY anchor to Kara's life –- she's been dropped in a world without her home, her family, or anything else as she knew it.

✶ .  — There was a beat of silence. Not only was the comment extremely out of pocket, but it answered absolutely NOTHING that was asked of the demigod in the first place. It didn't take long for that initial confusion to make way for FRUSTRATION and ANGER as it so often did when it comes to Dorrin.

An indignant HUFF left Tyler as hands went to his temples, and a strained laugh left him. He could feel the anger rising, quickly at that, but he'd smother it for now. He needed answers.

❛ NO – I definitely meant my wife. ❜ Tyler shot Dorrin a glare. ❛ Where's Kate? You know something, you ALWAYS do. ❜

𖤓-. Dorrin is just chilling on a nearby fence. Regardless of whether Tyler INTENTIONALLY ran into Dorrin or not---the demi god was not going to back down from being the storm chaser's #1 pain in the ass. and 13th reason.

✶ .  — Unhelpful as always. Tyler hadn't expected anything different, not really, but he still found himself livid at the demigod's answer. 'Their wife'? Yeah, that's not something he's ever going to acknowledge as valid. The wedding was illegitimate anyways, he didn't have a ceremony or anything either.

The act of handing her a ring doesn't make them married as far as Tyler was concerned.

ᯓ☆ˎˊ˗. For whatever reason----or perhaps no reason at all--Ewyn hears nothing but STATIC when Lucky was talking. Truthfully, a typical move for Ewyn. He was a skilled selective listener.

" Water park pass?" he is suddenly wide eyed patting down the pockets on his baggy pants. Suddenly he swipes something out of one of them. It's a pass in a tiny little leather case.

A silver pass to the water and theme park of Eshu's.

✶ .  — Golden gaze narrowed on the small leather case and the pass it held before her eyes widened slightly. That had been exactly what she'd been talking about. She didn't know Ewyn, nor did she know much of anything about him.

Just that he's here and he APPARENTLY has an elusive pass to the water park. She'd never actually seen one in person, just in advertisements.

❛ Yeah –- like that. ❜ She couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous, even if she didn't openly display as much. ❛ That's a bundle too? Like for both parks? I looked into those and the price in gold is crazy.... it's so over. ❜

𖤓-. The voice that cut through his music IMMEDIETLY stopped the demi-god in his tracks. It was not just any voice--but one he hadn't heard PROPER in several THOUSAND years. The effect was instant--and he felt a wave of something he NEVER did---anxiety. Nausea.

Fear?

He couldnt' recognize it. not at this point.

Regardless, he stops--turning three points to partially face the girl. It was kara just as she was before that terrible night. Like it had never happened. Her honeyed amber eyes glistening in the streetlights--lighter and more reflective than Kate's. && Her freckles and rounder features created a full SPLIT in his mind between the two of them for the first time ever.

For a second---he just stood there, looking at her until she gets to her feet. He instinctively STEPS BACK. Without even making the conscious CHOICE too. Like it would KILL her just to STAND here.

Then came something else...a feeling of guilt. More than he was used to feeling by far. It was weird how quickly that anchor to who he USED to be dragged him under those feelings. Ones that made him angry most of the time now. It was just UNCOMFORTABLE here.

" I lost track of time." He finally replies. A pathetic excuse---but he didn't really HAVE one to be fair. She wasn't wrong. She never was. Kara knew how to peg him. Every.Single.Time.

Then he holds out the bag of food.

✶ .  — Kara's attention was directed to the bag of food in Dorrin's, then to the hunger she'd been ignoring as she sat waiting on Dorrin. While it may have been thousands of years since Dorrin last saw her (the original version of her), to Kara, it felt much more recent. Maybe a month or two ago, at longest.

The food was accepted with a bright smile as she fell into step beside Dorrin. ❛ Oh! Yes! I'm so hungry, thank you!  ❜ She glanced into the bag momentarily, looking to its contents. A chicken sandwich and fries, just as she asked.

Honey brown eyes finally glanced back up, looking to Dorrin again. The small step away from her DIDN'T go unnoticed even if she didn't point it out. She could sense his awkwardness, a trait he didn't usually have.

❛ Hey. It's just me. Remember that. ❜ Kara said simply, swinging her arms at her sides still holding the bag of food she turned her body to better face him. ❛ I'm not here to keep score. I promise! I'm here to visit you and see your apartment. ❜

✶ .  — ❛ You know... ❜ A voice cut through the music. It was Kara, who stood up from the bench she sat on waiting for Dorrin to come back. ❛ It's kinda crazy of you to be out all day when you knew I was coming to see you today. ❜

She didn't sound mad, you would know if she was angry. Kara was ALWAYS a girl who wore her heart on her sleeve, what you see is what you get. Yes, he'd told her there was a key in the lockbox. She had stubbornly REFUSED to go in until Dorrin came back.

ᯓ☆ˎˊ˗. Ewyn looked up---blinked once, and then twice. Both of his hands were still up--he doesn't even MOVE from his spot.

He didn't know WHO this was---but she smelled vaguely of celestial magic.

So he doesn't really QUESTION it. Doesn't care enough to right now.

✶ .  — Lucky wasn't from here, so she didn't have much of ANYTHING of note here LET ALONE a swimming pool. Not that a swimming pool didn't sound amazing right about now.

❛ I wish I did have a pool. ❜ Truthfully, even if she DID have a pool, she would've lied. She didn't know him, nor did she feel like inviting strangers to her house.

ᯓ☆ˎˊ˗. He's looking down at his hands, his wide violet eyes swirling in the heat at this point.

✶ .  — ❛ Question. Have you tried NOT doing that? ❜

❛ No judgement. I also deconstruct sometimes when the sun is a deadly laser. ❜

𖤓-. " Is this about Dover again?"

Cottage why did you say that? You know what comes next don't you?

✶ .  — ❛ Oh. OOOOOOH. Don't even get me STARTED on them! You don't even KNOW the EMOTIONAL DAMAGES that Dover caused ME SPECIFICALLY! I may NEVER recover! ❜

Lucky threw her hands up in an overly animated display of EXASPERATION at the memory. That is, at the end of the day, all this was. A memory. None of them had seen Dover in well over FOUR YEARS now. That's actually crazy to think about, time is scary.

❛ All I'm SAYING is..... ❜